During a semiconductor manufacturing process, if a semiconductor package is completely assembled, individual semiconductor packages are transferred to undergo a process, for example, described herein. A semiconductor manufacturing process requires that many semiconductor packages are transferred at the same time or many semiconductor packages are precisely aligned.
A semiconductor integrated circuit provided in the form of a chip on a semiconductor wafer is reprocessed in the form of a package, where the chip is protected from an external shock, while experiencing a series of packaging processes. The completely processed semiconductor package undergoes a package test process in which an electric final test is performed prior to delivery to a user. A tester where various measuring devices are mounted to a computer, and a handler for automatically transferring and connecting the semiconductor package to the tester are used, and such facilities are collectively referred to a test handler.
In brief, a test handler operates as follows. If a customer tray (C-tray) receiving the semiconductor packages is loaded at an entrance of a loading part, then the semiconductor packages on the customer tray are transferred to and received again on the buffer tray (B-tray) by a picking head or the like. Then the semiconductor packages received on the buffer tray are received again in a test tray (T-tray) suitable for the test by the picking head or the like. Thereafter, the test tray is transferred to a test site and thus the semiconductor packages undergo the test.
Here, the test handler may need to transfer the semiconductor packages from the customer tray (C-tray) to the buffer tray. Conventionally, the buffer tray provided with a pocket portion for guiding an outskirt of the package has been used to transfer and align the semiconductor packages, and an inner wall forming the pocket portion is inclined so that the semiconductor package can enter the pocket portion along an inclined surface when being received in the pocket portion even though the semiconductor package goes slightly awry.
However, if many semiconductor packages are transferred and received at a high speed, the semiconductor package may sometimes go awry from the pocket portion. In this case, the whole test handler is suspended, and after the semiconductor packages are manually received in a proper position of the pocket portion or removed, the test handler is restarted, thereby lowering productivity.
Also, the pocket portion of the buffer tray has to be manufactured to have a larger size than the semiconductor package in order to prevent the semiconductor package from getting jammed with respect to an outskirt size tolerance, and therefore, a problem may occur where the semiconductor may go awry with respect to a predetermined position within the pocket portion of the buffer tray.
As above, the buffer tray is described by way of example. However, a conventional tray for aligning the semiconductor packages has problems in that the facilities are suspended to take manual measures since it has no automatic compensation function even though the semiconductor package goes awry with respect to the pocket portion. It is difficult to normally load the semiconductor package at a fine pitch since difficulties can arise in order to provide precise position alignment needed corresponding to the semiconductor package.